The iron pot in the kitchen sizzled as Jiang Jianhua poured rapeseed oil into it, intending to stir-fry the freshly picked water chestnuts into candied fruit.
“These water chestnuts need to be boiled thoroughly first,” she said, scooping the water chestnuts out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon. “After peeling them, cut them into small cubes, stir-fry them with white sugar, and they can be stored until winter.”
Song Yushuang sat in front of the stove adding firewood, the firelight making the cornbread dough in her hands turn yellow: "I'll make more pancakes and send some to Zhou Desheng's family later. They'll go perfectly with their pickled vegetables."
Nian'an squatted by the stove, watching the fire, her little hands adding kindling into the firebox, the tassels of her tiger-striped bib almost catching sparks.
“Little darling, stay away,” Fu Yuanshan quickly picked him up and moved him away, “the flames will burn holes in your clothes.”
Nian'an pointed at the diced water chestnuts in the pot and exclaimed, "Sweet, I want to eat them!"
Jiang Jianhua smiled and stuffed a raw water chestnut into his mouth: "Have something to eat first, then you can eat your fill when it's cooked."
Xiao Lan hung the woven water chestnut basket on the fence. The basket was filled with freshly picked wild chrysanthemums, their golden color like scattered gold.
"Do you think this basket can hold osmanthus flowers?" She tugged at the red rope of the wicker basket and shook it. The water chestnut shells in the bamboo rabbit basket were already piled up like a small mountain.
Yun Tangyin was filling a jar with dried sweet potatoes when she heard this. She turned around and smiled, "Make another one, so that when the locust flowers bloom, it can fill a whole basket."
When Zhou Desheng brought the corn stalks, Fu Yucheng was weaving a bamboo fence in the yard.
“Freshly picked tender corn,” he said, placing the corn on the stone table, its green husk still glistening with dew. “My sister-in-law asked me to bring it over, saying that boiling it would quench my thirst even better than eating water chestnuts.”
Jiang Jianhua quickly brought out freshly stir-fried water chestnut preserves from the kitchen: "Try this, it's so sweet it'll stick to your teeth."
Fu Yuanshan added water to the pot and put the tender corn in to cook.
“This corn has to be cooked until it bursts open,” he said, pressing the corn down with the pot lid. “Otherwise, the kernels inside will be hard and you won’t be able to chew them.”
Nian'an leaned over the edge of the pot and stared intently. The silver longevity lock hung from the lid, swaying gently with the steam.
"Wait another fifteen minutes," Fu Yucheng said, patting his head. "Then I'll pick out the fullest one for you."
Xiao Lan squatted down next to Zhou Desheng, learning to braid corn husk ropes. The bright green leaves were tied into a knot in her hand.
“My mother said this rope can be used to tie firewood,” she said, winding the braided rope into a loop. “It’s stronger than the hemp rope you buy, and it doesn’t hurt your hands.”
Zhou Desheng helped her tie the rope tightly: "Take some back to your mother later, so she can see Xiaolan's skills."
The water chestnut preserves in the kitchen were half-dried, and Jiang Jianhua was putting them into jars. A layer of white sugar frosting had formed on the water chestnut pieces.
“This jar needs to be kept in a cool place,” she said, tying the mouth of the jar tightly with a red cloth. “Take it out next spring and eat it with corn porridge; it’ll be sweet and delicious.”
Song Yushuang packed the cornbread into a bamboo basket, the sesame seeds on the bread glistening in the sunlight: "Desheng, take two for your son, they're fresh out of the pan and still warm."
The evening glow turned the corn stalks orange-red, and Fu Yucheng bundled the stalks into small bundles and stacked them in the corner of the yard to use as firewood.
“This pole burns the brightest,” he said, tying the pole with straw rope. “In winter, it can cook sweet potatoes in half an hour.”
Nian'an ran over holding a half-eaten ear of corn, the kernels stuck to her tiger-striped bib, like some yellow gems.
"Take your time eating slowly," Jiang Jianhua said, wiping his mouth. "Don't let the corn silk get on your face, it'll prick you."
When Zhou Desheng was about to leave, Fu Yuanshan packed a jar of candied water chestnuts into his bamboo basket.
“Let your sister-in-law try it,” he said, patting the bottom of the jar. “It’s even more appetizing than candied hawthorn.”
Zhou Desheng couldn't refuse, so he handed over some of his own pickled cucumbers: "These are pickled using your recipe. They're very crisp and sour, and they're best eaten with porridge."
Yun Tangyin smiled and took it: "Perfect timing, I'll be making corn porridge tomorrow, I'm just missing this sour flavor."
As the moonlight climbed to the top of the locust tree, Jiang Jianhua was sewing a small, diamond-shaped purse for Nian'an.
"It's filled with dried water chestnut powder," she said, embroidering water chestnut patterns with green thread. "It can be carried in your pocket as a sachet in winter."
Xiao Lan sat beside her, helping her thread the needle, still clutching the unfinished corn husk rope in her hand: "My mother said that water chestnut flour can be used to make jelly, which is refreshing in the summer."
Fu Yucheng and Fu Yuanshan sat in the courtyard smoking, the glow of their pipes illuminating the corn pile in the corner.
“Go pick the pumpkins tomorrow,” Fu Yucheng said, tapping his cigarette ash. “Make pumpkin pancakes with the old ones, and stir-fry the young ones.”
Fu Yuanshan nodded: "I'll weave another pumpkin basket, specifically for holding tender pumpkins, so they won't get their skin scratched."
The lingering aroma of cornbread wafted from the kitchen, mingled with the sweetness of candied water chestnuts, as if coating this autumn night with a layer of sugar.
Nian'an lay on her small bed, clutching a water chestnut pouch and half a cornbread in her hand. "The cornbread is sweet,"
He mumbled incoherently, his eyelids gradually growing heavy.
Jiang Jianhua covered him with a thin blanket and saw that Xiao Lan had secretly put a woven grasshopper in the water chestnut basket next to his pillow. It was so green that it looked like it had just jumped out of the grass.
The reeds outside the window rustled in the wind, and the night in the locust courtyard was quiet, with only the earthenware pots in the kitchen whispering softly, telling of the sweetness in these ordinary days.
Like a jar of candied water chestnuts that slowly develops its flavor, the longer the days go by, the more you can taste the warmth between neighbors, brewing the most mellow flavor over the years.
Just as dawn broke, Nian'an was awakened by the aroma of cornbread waking her up from the windowsill.
He sat up, clutching the water chestnut purse, his little hands stroking the green patterns on it. Suddenly remembering something, he ran barefoot into the yard.
Fu Yuanshan was filling a bamboo basket with pumpkins, their orange-yellow rinds glistening in the morning light: "Little ancestor, why aren't you wearing shoes again? Be careful not to let the dew chill your feet."
The aroma of pumpkin porridge wafted from the kitchen. Jiang Jianhua cut the pickled cucumbers that Zhou Desheng had given him into thin strips and sprinkled them into the porridge.
"It tastes better when mixed like this," she said, stirring with a wooden spoon. "It's sour, crunchy, and refreshing, perfect with corn tortillas."
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